Six Degrees
There are only six degrees of separation between you and every voter in America. Six conversations a week, one weekly email with a topic to talk about.
Record turnout this November.
Every person here talks to six more. That's how 200,000 becomes millions.
The Why
This November, we can stop this.
The midterm elections are almost here — every House seat and a third of the Senate. It's our chance to put a real check on the corruption and the chaos. But a close election can be challenged — lawsuits, recounts, thrown-out ballots. A landslide can't. We need record turnout — big enough that no trick can undo it.
We know it works. It just happened.
The full story
Hungarians spent sixteen years being told their far-right authoritarian leader, Viktor Orbán, couldn't be beaten — he'd rewritten the rules, and the system was too rigged. This April, they voted him out anyway. No revolution. Just turnout: 79.6%.
And the voters are there: 90 million Americans stayed home in 2024 — in an election decided by margins a thousand times smaller. Non-voters are the biggest political bloc in America. Nobody's talking to them. We will.
The plan.
Get America to 80% — the number that beat Orbán. It starts with 200,000 of us each talking to six people we know: 1.2 million conversations a week. Then those people talk to their people.
The How
You're not here to win arguments.
Every week, we send you one short, plainly written topic — something happening in this country that's easy to miss if you're not following the news, with sources you can point to. Your job is just to bring it up with six people you know. At work, at school pickup, at the gym, over the fence.
"Did you hear about this?" is the whole move. You're delivering information, not a verdict. Then:
- Define.Make sure you're having the same conversation. Words get fused and lose their meaning — like how "leftist" and "conservative" both get used to mean "extremist." Slow down and say what you actually mean.
- Ask questions.A question opens a conversation; a lecture ends one. You're listening to understand where they are and find common ground — you're not grading their answers.
- Follow up.Leave the door open — the goal of any single conversation is that they'd be willing to have another one. Notice who's curious, and circle back next week.
Who we're talking to.
Not the people glued to cable news — they've picked a side. We're talking to the cousin who's never voted. The 19-year-old who thinks it's pointless. The coworker who's overwhelmed. The neighbor in a county everyone calls "decided." Ninety million people sat out the last election — we don't blame them for being uninspired by politicians. But we're betting their friends and neighbors can break through.
Where there's the most ground to gain
Talk to the people you know and the people who'll listen — every conversation counts. But if you're wondering where conversations can do the most, the data has an answer. Pew Research studied who stayed home in 2024: non-voters skew young (adults under 30 were 30% of non-voters, though they're only 20% of eligible adults), they skew working-class (nearly half have a high school education or less), and they live everywhere — including places written off as "decided," where people skip voting because they think the outcome is settled. So if your six includes a student, a coworker who never registered, or a friend in a "safe" district — those conversations might go furthest.
And non-voters aren't secretly one party's army — in 2024 they split almost evenly. They're not waiting to be claimed. They're waiting for a reason. Be the reason.
Starting now.
Are you registered to vote?
None of this counts at the polls if you're not registered. Check your voter registration — or register to vote for the first time — at Rock the Vote. It takes about two minutes.
Check your voter registration →Deadlines come earlier than people think: some states close registration as early as October 2 — a full month before Election Day. In New York, your form must be received by October 24. Early voting in New York runs October 24 – November 1; Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Past Topics
Every week's topic, archived. Missed one? It still works at the barbecue.
Week 3 · August 17, 2026 A Billion-Dollar Side Business "Did you know the president reported over $1 billion in income last year from his family's crypto businesses? It's in his own financial disclosure — he signed it himself."
The story
Every senior federal official has to file a public financial disclosure listing their income. President Trump signed his on June 30 — it covers 2025, his first year back in office. It lists more than $1 billion from family crypto ventures: about $636 million tied to his meme coin and about $515 million from World Liberty Financial token sales. For comparison, the president's salary is $400,000 a year — this is roughly 2,500 times that. And the White House sets the rules for the crypto industry — the same industry the family business operates in.
If they push back
"It's his money — he's a businessman." — Presidents set crypto policy. When the person who writes the rules profits from them, that's a conflict — no matter who's in office.
"Is that even real?" — It's his own signed federal disclosure: more than 900 pages, filed June 30, public record. Anyone can look it up.
The ask
Ask six people this week if they knew. If they didn't — that's exactly why Six Degrees exists. Send them here.
Sources
Fox Business — the ethics filing · NPR — the filing breakdown
Week 2 · August 10, 2026 The $100 Billion Refund "Did you know the government is refunding over $100 billion in tariffs — but the checks go to corporations, not to the people who actually paid higher prices?"
The story
Tariffs work like a sales tax at the border: companies write the check to customs, then pass the cost to you in prices. Studies found American buyers ended up covering nearly all of it — about 95 cents of every dollar. In February, the Supreme Court ruled the emergency tariffs unlawful — so the money has to be given back. But refund law follows the check, not the cost: the importing companies get it all. Apple has already collected $2.2 billion; Amazon, $600 million. More than $100 billion has gone back to corporations so far, with billions more on the way. No one is mailing you a refund for what you paid at the register.
If they push back
"Companies will pass the savings along." — A couple pledged to (UPS, FedEx). Most haven't, and lawsuits allege some are collecting twice — from your prices and from the Treasury.
"At least the tariffs are over." — No — tariffs under other laws continue. Families still pay about $1,100 a year at the register.
The ask
Ask six people if they knew where the refund checks are going. Then send them here.
Sources
Week 1 · July 27, 2026 They Detained Citizens "Did you know ICE has detained more than 170 American citizens? Including an Army veteran they held for three days — after he showed them his ID."
The story
ProPublica counted them one by one — from court records, lawsuits, and local news. More than 170 citizens held in nine months, nearly 20 of them kids. A construction worker in Alabama was detained twice while showing a valid REAL ID. In almost 50 cases, charges were dropped or never filed at all. Whatever someone thinks about immigration policy, Americans being held by their own government — with proof of citizenship in hand — is supposed to be impossible. It wasn't a glitch; it happened over 170 times.
If they push back
"They must have done something." — In nearly 50 cases, charges were dismissed or never filed. A veteran was held three days after showing ID.
"That's a few mistakes." — 170+ documented cases in nine months — and those are only the ones that reached a court record or a newspaper.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. That's why Six Degrees exists — one topic a week, told friend to friend. Send six people here.
Sources
ProPublica investigation (via OPB) · ProPublica — congressional follow-up
The Topic Bank
More verified topics, ready when you are. These haven't gone out as a weekly email yet — if the week's topic doesn't fit the conversation you're in, pull one of these instead. Every fact links to a source a skeptic can check. All entries re-verified September 27, 2026. Eleven topics.
Topic Bank · Corruption The "Free" Plane "Did you know the luxury jet Qatar gave the president is costing taxpayers up to $400 million to retrofit?"
The story
Qatar's government gave Trump a luxury Boeing 747 to use as Air Force One. The Air Force Secretary told Congress the retrofit will cost taxpayers up to $400 million — the actual figure is classified, so the public is paying a bill it isn't allowed to see. He took his first flight on it this July. Foreign gifts to a president are exactly what the Constitution's emoluments clause was written for, and lawmakers in both parties objected. Senators have written to the Air Force asking what the conversion actually cost; they haven't gotten an answer.
If they push back
"A free plane saves taxpayers money." — Up to $400 million in taxpayer retrofit costs for a plane nobody asked for, on top of the two new ones already on order.
"Presidents get gifts all the time." — Not $400 million aircraft from foreign governments they set policy toward. That's why the Constitution has a clause about it.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
NPR — first flight and retrofit cost · Breaking Defense — the Air Force Secretary's testimony
Topic Bank · Corruption Who's Paying for the Ballroom? "Did you know 37 corporations — many with mergers and contracts pending before this administration — are paying for the president's new White House ballroom?"
The story
The White House published the donor list itself: 37 corporations and wealthy individuals funding the new ballroom. Many have mergers, federal contracts, or lawsuits pending before this administration. YouTube settled a lawsuit with Trump by directing $22 million into the ballroom fund. Union Pacific donated while its $85 billion railroad merger sits before federal regulators — that review is still open. And the promise that it would cost the public nothing hasn't held: the project was announced at $200 million, and internal construction records obtained by the Washington Post put the estimate at $600 million, with roughly half of it taxpayer-funded. When the Supreme Court let construction continue in August, Chief Justice Roberts dissented, writing that the project is "likely unlawful because Congress has not approved it."
If they push back
"Private donations mean no taxpayer cost." — Internal records put taxpayers on the hook for roughly $300 million of it. And the issue is who's paying the rest: companies the president regulates.
"Companies donate to every administration." — Not to build the president a ballroom while their mergers sit on his desk. That's pay-to-play in plain sight.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Fortune — the White House donor list · The Hill — the $600 million estimate and the taxpayer share
Topic Bank · Affordability The Health Insurance Spike "Did you know health insurance got so expensive this year that 3 million people dropped their coverage?"
The story
For years, a federal tax credit capped what families on the insurance marketplaces paid each month — freelancers, small-business owners, early retirees, anyone without job coverage. Congress let it expire on December 31. The administration's own health department reported what happened next: the average monthly bill jumped 58 percent, from $113 to $178, and the average deductible rose by more than $1,000. By February, enrollment had fallen from 22.1 million to 19.2 million — the biggest drop since the marketplaces opened in 2014. Now insurers in all 50 states have filed for another round of double-digit increases for 2027. Those prices arrive when open enrollment opens on November 1.
If they push back
"Premiums always go up." — Not like this. The jump hit the month the credit expired — same plans, same companies, new price.
"Nobody in Congress is going to fix it." — A three-year extension passed the House back in January with votes from both parties. The Senate never took it up.
The ask
The new prices land November 1; the people who decide whether that credit comes back are on the ballot November 3. Check your registration, then ask six people if they've checked theirs.
Sources
KFF — the federal enrollment, premium and deductible data · Commonwealth Fund — the increase in perspective
Topic Bank · Accountability They Fired the Scorekeeper "Did you know that when a jobs report came in weak, the president fired the person in charge of counting the jobs?"
The story
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the agency that counts jobs and prices — boring, careful work that every business, bank, and retirement fund relies on. In August 2025 its numbers showed hiring had stalled. Within hours, the president fired the commissioner, calling the numbers "rigged" — no evidence was offered, then or since. Since then the agency has stopped collecting price data in several cities and leaned harder on estimates to fill the gaps. And during the fall shutdown it lost an entire month of the jobs survey: BLS says that month's data "will not be collected retroactively." There is no October 2025 unemployment rate. There never will be. When the scoreboard shows bad news, you can fix the problem — or stop keeping score.
If they push back
"Maybe the numbers really were rigged." — Revisions happen every month, in both directions, under every president. That's the method working. No evidence of tampering has ever been produced.
"How does this affect me?" — Your 401(k), your boss's hiring plans, and your mortgage rate all run on those numbers being honest.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
NBC News — the firing · Bureau of Labor Statistics — the month of data that was never collected
Topic Bank · Free Speech Punished for Speaking "Did you know federal judges have ruled 75 times — in a year and a half — that this administration violated the First Amendment?"
The story
The president promised to "bring free speech back." Reuters went through the federal court record and counted what judges actually found: 93 free-speech lawsuits against the administration, and rulings against it in 75. The cases aren't abstract — punishing law firms for who they represented, stripping federal workers of union rights as retaliation, pulling university funding over ideology, detaining students over op-eds. Ten of those rulings came from judges appointed by Republican presidents. One Reagan appointee wrote that using government power for "retribution for disdained speech" threatens everyone's freedom. For comparison, Reuters counted 27 such cases against the previous administration, which lost 13.
If they push back
"Those are activist liberal judges." — Ten rulings came from Republican appointees. The sharpest rebuke came from a Reagan judge.
"That was about foreigners, not Americans." — The 75 include American law firms, professors, federal workers, and protesters. Courts ruled the government punished them for speech.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Reuters — the court-record analysis · The Daily Record — syndicated report
Topic Bank · Environment Forever Chemicals on the Farm "Did you know the EPA walked away from its own scientists' plan to limit 'forever chemicals' in the sludge that gets spread on farmland as fertilizer?"
The story
Treated sewage sludge is sold as cheap fertilizer and spread on American farmland. In January 2025, EPA scientists published a risk assessment finding that even tiny amounts of PFAS — "forever chemicals" linked to cancer — in that sludge can create health risks for farm families that exceed the agency's own safety thresholds many times over. This June, rather than finalize it, the EPA issued 9 pages of voluntary guidance that sets no limits at all. Both documents are still on the EPA's own website, side by side. Meanwhile, states like Maine have already had to shut down farms poisoned by PFAS sludge.
If they push back
"It was only a draft rule anyway." — That assessment was the required first step toward any legal limit. Abandoning it ends the path to a rule.
"Sludge fertilizer is rare." — EPA's own new guidance flags sludge products sold to home gardeners for "precautionary practices."
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
EPA — the 9-page voluntary guidance · EPA — the original risk assessment
Topic Bank · Environment Erasing the Tap Water Rules "Did you know the EPA has proposed erasing federal drinking-water limits for four of the six 'forever chemicals' it started regulating just two years ago?"
The story
In 2024, the EPA set the first-ever national limits on six "forever chemicals" in tap water — chemicals linked to cancer that never break down in the body. In May 2026, the agency formally proposed erasing the limits for four of them. In a second proposal filed the same day, it moved to push enforcement on the remaining two out to 2031 — seven years after the science set the standard. One of the four being erased is GenX, the chemical that contaminated drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina's Cape Fear region. Both proposals are published in the Federal Register — the government's own legal record.
If they push back
"They kept the limits on the two worst ones." — With enforcement pushed to 2031. And GenX — which poisoned a real water supply — loses its limit entirely.
"It's only a proposal." — A formal one, in the Federal Register, in the government's own words. That's the documented action.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
Federal Register — erasing the limits for four PFAS · Federal Register — delaying the other two to 2031
Topic Bank · Environment The Lawsuit Next to the School "Did you know the Justice Department dropped its own lawsuit against a chemical plant emitting a likely carcinogen at 15 times the EPA's recommended level — next to an elementary school?"
The story
In LaPlace, Louisiana, the EPA's own air monitors measured chloroprene — a likely carcinogen, especially dangerous to children — at up to 15 times the level the agency recommends for long-term exposure. The readings came from around the Denka chemical plant, near Fifth Ward Elementary School. The federal government sued in 2023 to force the plant to cut emissions. In March 2025, the Justice Department dismissed its own case — and announced it in a press release on its own website, presenting the dismissal as a model for ending cases like it nationwide. The monitors, the lawsuit, and the dismissal are all government records.
If they push back
"The plant wasn't breaking any standard." — Chloroprene had no numeric standard — that's why the law's emergency provision was used. The 15x readings are EPA's own.
"That's old news." — The dismissal stands, and the DOJ itself called it a template for dropping similar cases.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
DOJ — its own dismissal announcement · Verite News — the monitoring data and the school
Topic Bank · Public Safety FEMA's Missing Workforce "Did you know FEMA started last hurricane season with only 15% of its disaster response workforce available?"
The story
That comes from the GAO — the nonpartisan watchdog that audits the government for Congress. In a report this August, GAO found that about 4,300 people left FEMA in a single year, a 55% jump over the year before and roughly 1 in 6 of the entire agency. That included 58 senior executives, against fewer than 13 in a typical year. GAO also found FEMA made those cuts after rescinding its own strategic plan — so no one mapped what capacity was being lost before it went. Federal disaster assistance is on GAO's official High Risk List. This year's hurricane season happened to be quiet. That's luck, not readiness.
If they push back
"FEMA was always slow and bloated." — GAO's point is that it measurably got worse — and that the cuts were made with no plan for what the agency still has to do.
"Nothing went wrong this year." — Right. The season was unusually quiet. The people are still gone when the next big one comes.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
GAO — FEMA workforce reductions (August 2026) · GAO — disaster assistance on the High Risk List
Topic Bank · Public Safety Fewer Eyes on Our Food "Did you know the farm behind this summer's parasite outbreak hadn't been inspected by the FDA in seven years?"
The story
The U.S. imports more than half its fresh fruit and much of its produce and seafood. The FDA is supposed to inspect the foreign facilities that grow and pack it. Those inspections fell about 29% in a single year, to the lowest level since 2011 — roughly a thousand inspections, against a legal target in the thousands per year. Then a cyclospora outbreak this summer was traced to lettuce from a facility in Mexico that the FDA had last visited in 2019. Fewer inspections doesn't make the problems go away. It means they get found after people eat the food instead of before.
If they push back
"The FDA never inspected enough anyway." — True — which is why cutting the small capacity that existed makes it worse, not neutral.
"One outbreak isn't a pattern." — The inspection decline is in the FDA's own database. The outbreak is what that looks like when it reaches your kitchen.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
CBS News — the outbreak and the seven-year gap · ProPublica — analysis of FDA inspection data
Topic Bank · Public Health Measles Is Back "Did you know the U.S. has more measles cases this year than any year since 1991 — a disease we officially eliminated in 2000?"
The story
The CDC's own count: more than 3,200 confirmed cases as of early September 2026 — the most in 35 years, and already far past last year's full-year total. About 1 in 10 infected children under 5 has ended up in the hospital. Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000; it came back as vaccination rates slipped. And doctors point out that in the middle of a 35-year-record outbreak, the nation's top health officials have weakened vaccine guidance and public messaging instead of strengthening it. Whatever someone thinks about any particular vaccine, "a disease we beat is back at record levels" is a fact from the government's own tracker.
If they push back
"Vaccine hesitancy started years before this." — It did. The record count is the CDC's own number either way — and the official response has been weaker guidance, not stronger.
"Measles is mild." — 1 in 10 infected young kids hospitalized, per CDC data.
The ask
If you didn't know this, most people don't. Bring it to six people this week — and send them here.
Sources
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